Dede is a sole parent trying to bring up her son Fred. When it is discovered that Fred is a genius, she is determined to ensure that Fred has all the opportunities that he needs, and that ...
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After losing her job, making out with her soon-to-be former boss and finding out that her daughter plans to spend Thanksgiving with her boyfriend, Claudia Larson faces spending the holiday with her family.

Mark Harmon is a washed-up baseball player who is called back home to handle the ashes of his childhood sweetheart/ first love who had committed suicide. As he searches for what to do with ... See full summary »

Storyline

Dede is a sole parent trying to bring up her son Fred. When it is discovered that Fred is a genius, she is determined to ensure that Fred has all the opportunities that he needs, and that he is not taken advantage of by people who forget that his extremely powerful intellect is harboured in the body and emotions of a child. Written by
Murray Chapman <muzzle@cs.uq.oz.au>

Technical Specs

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Trivia

Jodie Foster mentions that Adam Hann-Byrd was terrifically allergic to horses and had to take something like Benadryl in order to be around them during filming, but that made him sleepy. See more »

Goofs

When Fred first enters Jane's office, there is a card on her desk (at around 52 mins) that Fred takes (at around 57 mins) but which is soon back on the desk (at around 1 min). See more »

Quotes

[first lines]
Fred Tate:
It's funny, cause I *think* I can even remember being born. For the first two weeks of my life I didn't even have a name. Dede couldn't make up her mind. She finally decided on Fred. She said that she had never heard of a little kid named Fred before.
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User Reviews

A great directorial debut by Jodie Foster, not overly ambitious, but wholly effective. She plays a mother who wants her genius son to have an ordinary life, once his intelligence is discovered, yet in his "normal life," he's a total misfit. The way Foster brings these fragile little egos together is intriguing. The film is also a showcase for Wiest's quirky charms, she adds much humanity to a character who on the surface is unlikable, although it is Foster who gives the more subtle performance. (I disagree with one reviewer at the time who suggested they should have switched roles, it's more interesting seeing them each cast against type.) There are brief but nice supporting turns from Celia Weston and the late Danitra Vance. But it is Adam Hann-Byrd who makes the movie a total pleasure. If The Sixth Sense were made during this time (1991), he would have been the only choice for Haley Joel Osment's role. Never precocious, never going out of his way to pull at heartstrings, he could give several grown-up actors lessons in how to give a nuanced performance. A thoroughly enjoyable film.

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